The Vegan Party Conference hosts a people’s assembly on holding the new government to its animal rights pledges

Sunday, September 29th, 4pm to 6pm

● The Empathy Project and the Vegan Party Conference team up to host a people’s
assembly on holding the government to its animal rights pledges

● Expert speakers Juliet Gellatley, VIVA; Dr Carol Treasure, Co-Founder & CEO,
XCellR8; Susanna Feder, Philanthropy Manager, Animal Equality and Laila Kassam,
Co-Founder and former Co-Director of Animal Think Tank confront the issue of
holding the government to its animal pledges

The new Labour government brought with it a host of animal and nature rights pledges,
promising “the most comprehensive animal welfare package in a generation.”[1]
This included pledges to bring back the Kept Animals Bill provisions in full, ban the use of
snare traps, accelerate the phasing out of animaltesting, bring back the Hunting Trophies
Ban in full, and end trail hunting.

Whilst campaigning, Labour’s Secretary of State for the Environment, Food and Rural
Affairs Steve Reed MP, said: “For too long, too many animals including the world’s most
endangered species have been left to suffer in silence. The Conservatives are on the side of
animal cruelty. Labour will end it. The next Labour government will introduce the biggest boost to
animal welfare in a generation to end animal cruelty and protect Britain’s most loved pets.”

However, it now appears that the government is having trouble keeping to its promises. Ahead of
winning the election, Labour vowed to “end the ineffective badger cull” in its manifesto. Recently,
after just over one month in power, news has emerged that the government was considering
expanding the cull [2].

How can we make sure the new government sticks to its animal rights pledges?
The Empathy Project and the Vegan Party Conference team up to host a people’s
assembly on this topic. Hosted by Trust the People, the event brings together groups,
networks, animal rights activists and advocates to explore shared knowledge and work
out next steps.

A People’s Assembly is a facilitated conversation which works by bringing a really diverse
range of people together to pool ideas and explore mutual support.

Expert speakers Juliet Gellatley, VIVA; Dr Carol Treasure, Co-Founder & CEO, XCellR8;
Susanna Feder, Philanthropy Manager, Animal Equality and Laila Kassam, Co-Founder and
former Co-Director of Animal Think Tank will speak before assembly participants are
invited to discuss responses in groups.

Each speaker will speak for five minutes. The aim is to create concrete actions to the topic,
while asking the following questions: what approaches have worked in the past and where
could activists apply more pressure?